Yeah people fuss over wooden spoons way too much. My wooden spoons cost me $1-2 each at Walmart, and I abuse the hell out of them knowing that if I ever need to replace them, I have more than got my money's worth.
>You can use soap if you want, but studies have shown it doesn’t make a difference.
(...no links provided). Really? "Studies show" you don't need to use soap to rinse off the wooden cutting board you just chopped up raw chicken on? Without a citation there I'm extremely skeptical
Not sure where you read that, but the person is obviously wrong (EDIT: oh I see, they say it in the otherwise very good article linked in GP). Soap helps reduce pathogens just like does in washing hands: it doesn't sterilize, but it removes a huge amount, and makes it so subsequent proper sterilization (bleach, heat, etc) properly reaches the surface.
But, yes, if you just soap a board and rinse after cutting raw chicken on it, and then immediately (i.e. without allowing drying overnight) put on e.g. raw vegetables, and then e.g. throw those raw veggies in the fridge to be consumed / eaten hours or days later, then indeed the simple washing may not in general be enough, or may not be practically much different than using lots of very hot running water. E.g. some epidemiological studies fail to find washing habits predict outbreaks (https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article-abstract/89/2/538/565...).
But the conclusion to draw from this is not to skip the soap, but, rather, that the drying is often a more crucial part of good washing than the particular washing method.
> The current scientific consensus as far as I can see is that wooden is less safe than plastic or glass as it results in more biofilm formation, and more absorption than plastic or glass.
Sure, but the article is mainly about looks (and in the case of wood cups, which seem fairly impractical, although sake cups are ok unfinished, taste transfer). They can look nicer with a finish. I generally dont care, I keep my salad spoons with some oil, and my cooking spoons plain.
bigstrat2003|2 months ago
levocardia|2 months ago
(...no links provided). Really? "Studies show" you don't need to use soap to rinse off the wooden cutting board you just chopped up raw chicken on? Without a citation there I'm extremely skeptical
D-Machine|2 months ago
But, yes, if you just soap a board and rinse after cutting raw chicken on it, and then immediately (i.e. without allowing drying overnight) put on e.g. raw vegetables, and then e.g. throw those raw veggies in the fridge to be consumed / eaten hours or days later, then indeed the simple washing may not in general be enough, or may not be practically much different than using lots of very hot running water. E.g. some epidemiological studies fail to find washing habits predict outbreaks (https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article-abstract/89/2/538/565...).
But the conclusion to draw from this is not to skip the soap, but, rather, that the drying is often a more crucial part of good washing than the particular washing method.
wizzwizz4|2 months ago
> The current scientific consensus as far as I can see is that wooden is less safe than plastic or glass as it results in more biofilm formation, and more absorption than plastic or glass.
fanatic2pope|2 months ago
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369940932_Wood_Cutt...
eek2121|2 months ago
justincormack|2 months ago